Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[9] For more information pertaining to Bishop's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[10]

National security

National Defense Authorization Act

Bishop voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[11]

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations

Bishop voted in opposition of HR 2217 - the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[11]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Bishop voted in favor of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[11]

Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act

Bishop voted in support of HR 624 - the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[12] The bill was largely supported by Republicans but divided the Democratic Party.[11]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[15] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[16] Bishop voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[17]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funds the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[18] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Bishop voted for HR 2775.[19]

Immigration

Morton Memos Enforcement Prohibition

Bishop voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States.[20] The vote largely followed party lines.[21]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Bishop has voted against all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[22]

Social issues

Abortion

Bishop voted against HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill is to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[23]

Previous congressional sessions

Rep. Bishop voted for TARP.[24] According to a Gallup poll from September 13, 2010, 61% of Americans disapprove of TARP, while 37% approve.[25]

Bishop also supported the auto bailout.[26] As of September 13, 2010: 56% of Americans disapproved
of the auto bailout, while 43% supported it.[27]

In addition, Rep. Bishop voted for the stimulus bill.[28] 57% of U.S. voters believe that the stimulus has either hurt the economy (36%) or had no impact (21%). 38% believe the stimulus helped the economy. [29]

Bishop also voted in favor of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[30] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54% of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35% supported it.[31]

Bishop supported the "Cap and Trade" bill.[32] Just after the bill’s passage, 42% of likely U.S. voters said that cap and trade would hurt the economy, while 19% believed it would help. 15% said that the bill would have no impact.[33]

Finally, Bishop voted in favor of the health care reform bill.[34] 57% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46% who strongly favor repeal. 35% of likely voters oppose repeal. 51% of likely voters believe the health care reform bill will be bad for the country, while 36% believe it will be beneficial.[35]

Fiscal Cliff

Bishop voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[36]

Campaign themes

2012

"Deficit Reduction - Congressman Bishop co-chairs the Democratic Budget Group, a weekly meeting of House Democrats to discuss budget and related policy issues with outside experts and government officials. Congressman Bishop is a member of the "GoBig" Coalition of 100 bipartisan House members who support a plan to reduce the deficit by $3-4 trillion over 10 years with a balanced mix of spending reductions and closing tax loopholes to increase revenue.

The Affordable Care Act – Congressman Bishop supported legislation that provides Medicare beneficiaries free preventive care services such as cancer screenings, bone mass measurements, cardiovascular diseases screenings, and diabetes testing. That same legislation also closes the Medicare Part D coverage gap, also known as the “doughnut hole” so that seniors pay less for prescription drugs. In 2011, seniors saved $2.1 billion on prescriptions drugs due to the legislation Congressman Bishop supported.

Lowering Gas Prices – Since arriving in Congress, Congressman Bishop has fought hard to lower gas prices on Long Island while reducing our dependency on foreign oil. He has also been a leader in the effort to repeal unaffordable tax breaks for Big Oil and has fought against industrializing the Long Island Sound with the Broadwater LNG facility.

GI Bill for the 21st Century – Congressman Bishop is a supporter of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, a bill that provides tuition relief, job training, and related incentives to our returning veterans. Since the passage of this bill in 2008, Congress has provided a framework to reward returning military personnel for their service to our country.

Fighting for Patients - Not Insurance Companies - Congressman Bishop supported legislation that finally gives the upper hand to patients rather than to insurance companies and keeps health care decisions where they belong: between doctors and patients. Because of his support, Long Island families will no longer face insurance companies denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, cancelling coverage because a patient gets sick, or dollar limits on the amount a plan will cover during the year or the patient’s lifetime.

Protecting the Environment - Congressman Bishop has long been a leading voice in Congress for environmental protection and wise use of our precious natural resources. With over 300 miles of coastline in New York’s First Congressional District, he understands that a clean environment is vital for eastern Long Island’s economy.

Earmarks – Congressman has secured over $450 million dollars in direct federal investment to Long Island, putting people back to work and expanding the economy. For example, these investments have improved public safety by providing law enforcement the tools they need to combat crime, improved access at local hospitals by securing state-of-the-art technology, and protected the livelihoods of fishermen and maritime small businesses by dredging Shinnecock Inlet and Lake Montauk Harbor."

2012

Bishop won the election.[38] Bishop ran for re-election in 2012.[39] He was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican Randy Altschuler in the general election, a rematch of 2010. Bishop was seen as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in New York's congressional delegation.[40] He defeated Randy Altschuler on November 6, 2012.[41]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Tim Bishop, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

On November 2, 2010, Tim Bishop won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Randy Altschuler (R) in the general election.[42]

U.S. House, New York District 1 General Election, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Tim Bishop

48.7%

98,316

Republican

Randy Altschuler

48.4%

97,723

Blank/Scattering

Blank/Scattering

3%

5,968

Total Votes

202,007

2008

On November 4, 2008, Tim Bishop won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Lee Zeldin (R) in the general election.[43]

U.S. House, New York District 1 General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Tim Bishopincumbent

48.9%

141,727

Republican

Lee Zeldin

34.5%

100,036

Blank/Scattering

Miscellaneous

16.6%

48,042

Total Votes

289,805

2006

On November 7, 2006, Tim Bishop won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Italo Zanzi (R) in the general election.[44]

U.S. House, New York District 1 General Election, 2006

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Tim Bishopincumbent

58.6%

92,546

Republican

Italo Zanzi

34.2%

54,044

Blank/Scattering

Miscellaneous

7.2%

11,425

Total Votes

158,015

2004

On November 2, 2004, Tim Bishop won re-election to the United States House. He defeated William Manger (R) in the general election.[45]

U.S. House, New York District 1 General Election, 2004

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Tim Bishopincumbent

49%

140,878

Republican

William Manger

38.5%

110,786

Blank/Scattering

Miscellaneous

12.4%

35,757

Total Votes

287,421

2002

On November 5, 2002, Tim Bishop won election to the United States House. He defeated Felix Grucci (R) and Lorna Salzman (G) in the general election.[46]

U.S. House, New York District 1 General Election, 2002

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Tim Bishop

51.1%

81,325

Republican

Felix Grucci incumbent

40.9%

64,999

Green

Lorna Salzman

1.3%

1,991

Blank/Scattering

Miscellaneous

6.8%

10,739

Total Votes

159,054

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Bishop is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Bishop raised a total of $11,557,180 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 23, 2013.[47]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Bishop missed 189 of 7,674 roll call votes, from Jan 2003 to Apr 2013, which is 2.5% of votes during that period. This is worse than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.[61]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Bishop paid his congressional staff a total of $995,907 in 2011. Overall, New York ranked 28th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[62]

Staff bonuses

According to an analysis by CNN, Bishop was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Bishop's staff was given an apparent $1,850.00 in bonus money.[63]

Net worth

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Bishop's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $652,009 to $1,332,000. That averages to $992,004, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth decreased by 22.68% from 2010.[64]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Bishop's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $851,005 to $1,715,000. Averaging to a net worth of $1,283,002.50 which is lower than the average net worth of Democrats in 2010 of $4,465,875.[65]

National Journal vote ratings

2012

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Bishop ranked 141st in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[66]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Bishop tied with one other member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 115th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[67]

Voting with party

June 2013

Tim Bishop voted with the Democratic Party 94.9% of the time, which ranked 50th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[68]

Personal

Bishop is among the 12th generation of Bishops to live in the village of Southampton. He and his wife Kathryn, founder and director of The Children’s School for early childhood development, have two daughters, Molly and Meghan, and a grandchild, Nathan.[69]

Recent news

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